The World Becomes What You Teach

Zoe Weil: Changing our school system can solve the world’s problems.

posted Jun 03, 2011

Zoe Weil believes that what we commonly think of as the goal of education—preparing students for jobs in our economy—is a vision "too small and outmoded for today's world." Instead, she believes we should teach students to be conscious choice makers, "a generation of solutionaries" who can cope with the challenges of our changing, imperiled world.

Co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, Weil emphasizes the need for an education system that provides people with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to change our economic system, not adapt themselves to it. She created the first Master of Education and Certificate Program in Humane Education in the U.S., covering the interconnected issues of human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection.

In this video, Weil discusses why her experiences as a humane educator have led her to believe that changing the way we teach is the key to solving the problems we face in the world today.

Interested?

YES! Magazine's special issue on changing the way we think about education.

More and more people are waking up to the mismatch between what is
taught in schools and what common sense tells us we need to know. What can you do about it?

Students find real-world solutions when they learn from their community, not just their textbooks.